Dear Little Man {8 Months Old}

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Dear Little Man,

You are now 8 months old. I can’t believe how fast time is flying by and how much you are growing and becoming your own individual.

You are starting to eat solid-ish foods and enjoying every bite of it. You are struggling a bit to get those pincher fingers working and grasping the food pieces…but we’ll keep working on it and you’ll soon master it! I laugh at the fact that you end up wearing more than half of the food than what makes it in your mouth and Daddy is realizing how much having a dog would make clean-up easier after meal time.

You are still working on sitting up fully unassisted. We think that you get too excited to sit still and you end up toppling over as you go for toys. But we are getting there and every day you get a little more balance. I don’t mind you taking your time because I don’t want you to grow up too fast.

We started swim lessons this month and you weren’t a huge fan at the beginning but now you are loving it. You splash away and enjoy floating on your back. Your Daddy and I are so happy that you love the water and we hope your love continues.

Your quiet personality is showing more and more. We found that you do best when introducing you to a new environment to just sit back and allow you to take it all in before we dive in. At swimming lessons we found that you did the best when we sat and watched the class before of us before we got in the pool. That is definitely a trait you get from me.

Lastly, you are learning to enjoy drumming. You love to bang your toys together, on the floor, on each other, on anything you can get your hands on. Daddy loves this trait of yours because I think he secretly wishes you will become a drummer like him. I find it entertaining because we’ll make up songs to your drum beats and it gets you giggling.

I can’t wait to see you master the art of sitting this next month and everything else you will encounter.

Love,

Mommy

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Session Styling: My favorite newborn photos {Lake County IL, Newborn Photographer}

During a newborn photo session I aim to capture 20-30 images of your little one and provide you with a beautiful gallery showcasing your newest addition. When it comes down to the truth though…I have my favorite photos / poses that I always capture with every little baby. These “poses” are the ones I envision hanging on the walls in your house or being used on your birth announcements. These are the images that I personally loved the most from my own son’s newborn gallery.

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The Simple Head Shot

This photo is my absolute favorite one to capture! It’s a simple photo that focuses on your little one’s face. This photo gives you the chance to see which features came from mommy and which ones came from daddy.  Does he have mommy’s lips? Does she have daddy’s nose? It’s also a great photo to be used as a birth announcement and the one we ended up using on my son’s.

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The Tiny Toes

Baby feet are my weakness…their softness, chubbiness, general adorableness get me every time. Even now, as my son gets older, I love to tickle his little feet. We all have some part of our little one that we become obsessed with…maybe it’s their kissable lips or their chubby fingers. Capturing the little details gives you the chance to remember all the little pieces of your baby that you fell in love with.

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All The Squishy Goodness

Every baby is squishy…even the tiniest 5lb baby has little baby rolls. I love this pose because it brings me back to those times when my little guy would tuck his legs up under his butt and fall asleep curled up against my shoulder. This squishy phase doesn’t last forever and I love having this memory captured.

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Side Sleeper

When I think of newborn babies I always think of a peaceful sleeping baby. (I will admit, my little man isn’t a big crier so I never experienced any colic episodes so maybe my vision is slightly skewed…) This pose though makes you fall in love with your sweet sleeping newborn. This was the pose my grandma loved of my little guy because of how sweet and simple it is. You don’t see any risky naked pieces and instead you see a peaceful little baby.

 

Which pose do you love the most? Share below in the comment section!

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Dear Little Man {4 Months Old}

Dear Little Man,

How can you be four months old already? Our time together at home just you and I has come to an end and you recently started going to daycare (or “school” as mommy calls it so she feels better about sending you every day). It’s been an easy adjustment for you, but a hard one for me. I miss you something terrible when I’m not around you but I know that allowing you to make new friends and learn all you can at school is very important. As you are getting older I’m starting to see your personality coming out with how you act in different situations and experiences.

You are a stubborn little man, a trait that I know will come in handy someday. You don’t give up on something until you get what you want. Case in point, you are a finger sucker, any finger will do, multiple fingers will do, just so long as something is in your mouth. When you first started sucking your fingers you had a hard time getting them into your mouth and would end up scratching your little nose in the process. Those little scratches, while I’m sure were painful, didn’t stop you from continuing to work on getting what you wanted, your finger in your mouth. Now, a few weeks later, a few healed scratches later, and a regular nail trimming schedule put in place, you have mastered your finger sucking skills.

You like to push things to the extreme; I view it as more like learning your limits, I guess. Something that again, will be a great trait to have as an adult…maybe not so much when you are a toddler, but we’ll chat about that when you get older. How do I know you like to push your limits? Well, you don’t settle for just one finger in your mouth at a time or even two fingers in your mouth…you like to try to fit as many fingers from both hands at the same time in your mouth. Your daddy and I now play a game at night called “Guess how many fingers Andrew has in his mouth.” It’s a game we are terrible at because you continue to change your strategy and stretch the capacity of your little mouth.

You love to laugh and are a very happy little man. Your teachers already talk about how happy you are and how much you laugh during the day. Your little giggles are very contagious and they make me and daddy laugh right along with you when you are in one of your little laughing fits. Anything will really make you laugh but silly songs are a true winner in your book as a way to crack you up. You have a few different laughs, at least three, which I can tell from already.  One is your common every day laugh, its normally just one or two little giggles that you tend to give when I make you smile and say “hi”.  Your second laugh is a bit deeper in tone and it is the precursor to your fast paced giggle.  Once we hear this laugh we know the laughing fit is about to start. Your third laugh is my favorite and it is a high pitch, fast paced laugh that includes the occasional snort here and there. When you get going on this laugh I have a hard time stopping myself from laughing along with you (or at you, in truth).

Lastly, you love to talk. You started chatting early, at about 6 weeks, and you haven’t been quiet since! We talk about your dreams at night, how school went that day, how much you are loved, really anything under the sun you will talk about. You get this trait from your daddy. He loves to talk and so do you. You get so proud of yourself when you make a new sound and then you proceed to continue to make that sound over and over again for a good hour all while laughing in-between making that sound and taking a breath. I can’t wait to hear your little voice when you actually say words beyond the little squeals and squawks.

Life is already going by so fast but I just wanted to take a moment to stop and think about all the little things I’m seeing you do right now. I can’t wait to see what next month will bring you!

Love,

Mommy

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Becoming a Mommy {Lake County IL, Newborn Photographer}

Becoming a mommy…has been the most amazing thing I’ve experienced so far in life. I know I’ve been a little quiet lately and truthfully I’ve sat down over a hundred times to post something or write about something but my little man has pulled me away; a distraction that I eagerly give my full attention. During these past few months I’ve learned how much one’s life can change.

Becoming a mommy…has showed me how quickly time goes by. One day he’s tucking his legs up under himself and falling asleep against my chest and the next day he’s stretching his little legs out as far as they can go. Every day I wake him up and realize he’s learned something new or has grown in some little way. Time feels like it is on warp speed some days.

Becoming a mommy…has showed me that you can love more than you ever thought possible. I never thought I would be happy to be awake at 4am or smile as I’m wiping baby puke off my shirt. Hearing little baby chatter or seeing his big grin as I sleepily walk into his room are moments that fill my heart fuller than what I thought possible.

Becoming a mommy…has made me realize that you can’t plan anything because a little 13lb, 24inch, drool covered boy has the real control. You can try to force him, try to trick him…but in the end it’s better to just let him drive and you join the ride.

Becoming a mommy…has made me an expert on google. I’ve realized that with becoming a new parent you will search everything possible on the internet, even after people tell you not to. You need reassurance that your baby’s poop is normal, that your hair will eventually stop falling out, that your child doesn’t have some crazy illness and instead just a little cold. For some strange reason, there is comfort from a stranger online.

Becoming a mommy…has showed me how much stronger I am than what I thought. I knew I could be stubborn and a fighter but after going through delivery and recovery my perspective on what I can do has been altered. I am one strong woman.

Becoming a mommy…has made me feel proud in my body. I have accomplished a dream of mine that I’ve been working towards for almost 5 years and I’ve put my body through so much and in the end it brought me my little man, perfect and safe. What more could I have ask for?

Becoming a mommy…has changed my marriage. The change though, has been for the better, a better I didn’t even think was possible. I have fallen in love with my husband all over again, but in a different way.  A way that showed me how amazing he can be with our son, how helpful he can be while recovering from delivery, how loving he can be while my emotions are adjusting from becoming a mommy.

So I ask that you please forgive me for being quiet lately…I’ve been experiencing this crazy life change of becoming a mommy.

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Sweet Baby S {Lake County IL, Newborn Photographer}

Being a big sibling comes with responsibility. You have to look out over your little sibling, spend time reading to your little sibling, and tell them it will be ok when they cry. Sweet Baby S’s big brother also added being 100% smitten with your new little sister to the list. Just saying his little sister’s name brought out the most adorable crinkly nose smile I’ve ever seen. This entire family was so smitten with baby S and after meeting her it was hard to resist her charm!

The minute I saw sweet little S’s creamy skin and light hair I knew just what colors would be perfect on her. She also just loved being all curled up by tucking her little feet up tight and scrunching up on her tummy showing off her most adorable little baby rolls. In truth, every baby has the most adorable little baby rolls that I just can’t resist! Baby rolls just scream squishy baby goodness.

Now that summer is upon us I loved capturing a few family outdoor photos. We only get a few beautiful months of outdoor worthy weather and I’m in love with bringing in some beautiful sunshine and greenery to an already gorgeous little family.

Take a little peek at our time together…can you guess what football team Dad loves?

Interested in seeing more?  Checkout my newborn portfolio!

Want to book your own personalized newborn session?  Checkout my newborn session information!